Car-coupling



(No Model.)

F. W. BROOKS.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 269,257. Patented Dec. 19, 1882.

minesses:

Inveni ar:

Attorneys.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE...

FREDERICK XV. BROOKS, OF OAK GROVE, \VISCONSIN.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,257, dated December 19, 1882.

Application filed October 11, 1882.

(No model.)

' In all whom it may concern:

- July 18, 1882,:1nd will be fully described hereinufter.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of my device. Fig. 2 is a section through line a; x of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a view of the under side of my improved coupling.

A is the draw-head of my coupling, the shank Aot'whieh terminates in spindle a tha't carries a spring, a, and passes through a plate, I), that extends from one of the face-plates b. to the other. These face-plates lie up against beams B B, and to support the front end of the drawbar 1 provide a bottom plate, 11 that extends across the front ends of beams B B. Shoulders 0 on the shank of the draw-head work in recesses c in the face-plates I), and shoulders c of the latter, by engagement with the shoulders 0, limit the longitudinal play of the draw-head.

O is a horizontal sliding frame of general U shapethat is, it has two long arms extending from a short cross-piece at right angles to it and parallel with each other. The arms of the frame 0 slide in eyes (1 d d d, that depend from the beams B B, and each carries a collar, 0, and a spring, and the collars O are connected by a pivoted cross-piece, C that carries a counterbalanced lever, I). This lever D has a rounded flange, D, on its front end, that is adapted for engagement with a recess, a, in the under side of the shank A of the draw-head, and to connect the frame 0 with it to set the device forautomatic coupling, and to hold the end D of lever D up in the recess a, I provide a small U-shaped sliding frame,

E, the arms 6 e of which I pass through eyes e, interposing a spring between the eyes e on each arm. The under side of the cross-piece of frame E is beveled, or is made slanting, to permit the head D to wedge it out of the way as it is forced up into the recess a. by one of the bell-crank levers F. The levers F are fulcrumed to the under side of the car-bed, each in a pair of brackets, ff, and each has an arm, F, that extends up and out in position to be easily reached from the side of the car; and to place one of these arms F and its lever under control ofa person standing on the platform or top of the car, Ipivot a small lever, g, to the front end of the car on one side of the draw-head, as shown in the drawings, Fig. 1, andjust inside of one of the arms F, with its head 9 in position to strike the upper end of lever F, when its lower end, 1 is drawn upon by a rope or chain, G, that extends up to the top of the car.

H is a lug that is beveled on its under side, and forms part of the frame 0, and this lug is adapted to engage with the lower cross-piece of a pin-yoke, L, that slides up and down in eyes I l, secured to the front of the car-frame, and is guided by a bolt, M, that is secured to the front of the frame by small brackets and passes loosely down through alug, 1., on lower cross-piece, P, of the yoke. The vertical arms of the yoke carry loops m to receive the inner ends of levers N, byavhich the yoke Lis raised to uncouple the cars.

(J are arms that extend out from the upper cross-piece of yoke L over the draw-head, and between these arms I place a plate, 0, grooved on each side to receive them. This plate ,0 is adapted to slide freely on these arms, and a pin, 0, projecting up through it from the draw head, serves as a guide for it, and to connect it. with the draw-head, so that its pinholes will always be directly over corresponding pinholes in the draw-head. The pin 0 is shouldered at about its middle, and projects down through an opening in the draw-head, which is enlarged at top. and bottom to permit the draw-head to slightly vibrate about a hori- 'zontal center without cramping said pin.

R is a removable coupling-pin, that passes through the plate Ojnst in front of the pin 0 and down through link-chamber S on one side of the draw-head; and Ris a central pin, that passes down through the central link-chamber,

S, while B is the pin that holds a link in pins and couples the cars; and to prevent the chamber S for coupling with an opposing car.

sis a pin that passes through the draw-head in the rear of chamber S, and has a lip, s, that, resting on the inner end of the link, guides its other end into the link-chamber of an approaching car. To prevent the withdrawal of pin 8, I perforate it near its lower end and. force a pin, 8 into it.

Operation: To unc'ouple the cars I press upon the outer end of one of the levers N, and thereby lift the pin-yoke and the coupling-pins, and as the yoke rises its lower cross-bar, Z wedges back the lug H on frame 0 until it rises above it, when the lug shoots forward in position to support the yoke when the lever N releases it. Now, no amount of jarring will cause the yoke to drop the pins; but to set the coupling for automatic action it is only necessary to depress an arm, F, until the end of its lever F throws the flanged end 1) of the lever D up into the recess a past the head of the sliding frame E, which yields to permit this action, after-Which it is drawn back by the springs on arms 0 beneath the head D to hold it up in the recess a. Now, the draw-head and the frame 0 are connected by the lever D, and therefore when the draw-head A is struck by a draw-head on an approaching car, as it yields it carries the frame 0 back with it until the lug H is carried from beneath the bar Z of the yoke, and the latter falls with its couplingyoke from injuring theloops m, I provide brackets 0, (such as shown in Fig. 1,) that catch the yoke before it falls far enough for the loops to strike the eyes 1 Z.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters-Paten t. is-

1. The lever F, in combination with levers g and counterbalanced lever D, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with the draw-head, the shank of which is recessed at a, the U-frame E, having beveled cross-piece, the balanced lever D, and asetting-lever, as set forth.

3. The sliding pin-yoke, in combination with levers for lifting it and brackets O for limiting its downward movement, as set forth.

4. The combination of the yoke and coupling and guide pins with the draw-head having flared pin-holes, as set forth.

5. The combination of frame E, balanced lever D, levers g and F, and cord or chain G with the pin-yoke and frame 0, the latter carrying a lug, H, as set forth.

In testimony that Iclaim theforegoing I have hereunto set my hand on this 11th day of August, 1882, in the presence of two witnesses.

FREDERIUK W. BROOKS. 

